


You Should be Fired

by Gravytrain101



Series: Random Oneshots [6]
Category: Friday Night Lights
Genre: Blood, Caring Tami, Eric hurt, F/M, Gunshots, Set in Season 3, Very Brief Violence, Welcome Home Party, Worried Tami, hospital visits, not too serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-16 22:28:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20610377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gravytrain101/pseuds/Gravytrain101
Summary: This is set in season 3 when Eric had to make the decision of which quarterback to start (JD or Matt). I was wondering the whole time in season 3 if anyone was going to be there for Eric and back him up because that’s all he’s done for everyone else. I was also wondering if JD’s Dad (Joe) was going to tear Eric a new one (was expecting that based on his behavior). I guess this is my take on what happened during that time. This is completely different from what happened in the series, I don’t own any of this, but I hope it’s good.I’m just gonna jump right into it, there’s not going to be much of a build up as I want there to be.Summary sucks but hopefully it piqued someone’s interest…





	You Should be Fired

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea and just wrote this, I have no idea if it's good. I'm trying to work on my writing skills so please let me know if anything seems rushed, awkward, confusing, etc. I just wanted to get this up as soon as I can so I can receive some feedback. 
> 
> What I'm working on for my other stories...  
-Trying to finish my Umbrella Academy story (part of a series) -- I'm just trying to not make it awkward  
-Finishing a House piece (Wilson/House)  
-Finishing a Sherlock piece (series - Lestrade/Mycroft)  
-Finishing a Daredevil/Avengers crossover piece (series - Matt Murdock/Steve Rogers) 
> 
> Feel free to check out the series listed above (hopefully you'll like them) and don't be afraid to leave suggestions on what you would like to see in the future for those stories. 
> 
> Leave a comment down below of any suggestions or comments in general about the Friday Night Lights piece. Enjoy!

Joe’s POV:  
I was fuming with anger. How can Eric not put my son in? This is the 5th game he made him sit out. Can’t he see that JD is better than Matt? Is he really going to risk the game because of his integrity? He should be fired because he can’t do his job. 

I hate this man. I hate him with every fiber in my being. I want to knock him upside the head or kick him or shoot him, anything to hurt him. I just want to do something. 

Somehow during the second quarter, I made my way to the field where Eric was. I heard him giving orders to various players and I made sure to stay off to the side. I didn’t want him to notice me yet. 

Towards the end of the second quarter I decided that I’ve had enough. I grabbed the gun that I was hiding in my pants and fired a shot straight into the air. Screams of joy quickly turned into screams of fear after I fired the first shot. I fired a second one to get people to shut up before pointing the gun at Eric. 

“Joe,” he asked as he raised his hands, “What are you doing?”

“What am I thinking? What are you thinking? Put my son in you idiot! He deserves to play more than Matt does! You’re going to lose the game without him you arrogant son of a b****!” I yelled at him before shooting him in the chest.

I shot him in the leg when I saw some players walking towards us before yelling, “Nobody move! Or he dies!” 

I grinned once I saw them move back. That felt so good. I finally got my point across and managed to cause Eric pain in the process. 

I walked over to him and smacked him over the head with the butt of the gun before I started to kick and punch him. 

I straddled him so I got more leverage when I punched him in the face. Once I was satisfied, I got up and started to kick him in the chest. 

I smiled and kicked harder when I heard him cough and gasp for air. 

I fought the hands and arms grabbing me, trying to stop me from beating him up. Just before I was pulled away, I grabbed my gun and smacked him again. 

Next thing I knew I was shoved into the grass and handcuffed by a police officer and dragged off the field. 

Matt’s POV:  
“All we need is one more point and we have a shot at winning the game!” Coach told me, “Just one more! Do you have one more in you?”

“I always have one more coach!” I yelled back. 

I listened to what he said we needed to do before heading back out onto the field to get us another point. We were in our huddle when I heard a gunshot that was soon followed by two more. 

‘Who would bring a gun to a football fight? Was someone hit? Did someone die? Am I hit?’ I thought to myself as I looked around, trying to see who had the gun and who was hit. 

I looked over to the sidelines and that’s when I saw it. I saw JD’s Dad standing over Coach with a gun pointed at him. 

He shot the coach! That bas**** is going to pay for what he did once I get my hands on him. What are we going to do? We have to save him but I don’t know how. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Riggins walk towards Joe and Eric, trying to get Joe’s attention away from Eric so someone else can tackle him. That plan didn’t work though because Joe saw him and shot Coach again. Great. Now what are we going to do. 

Tami’s POV:  
“Well thank you Buddy! We would love to have you over for dinner!” I said with a smile, hoping to God he couldn’t see how much I didn’t want him over. 

A gunshot stopped our conversation and replaced it with screams of fear. A second shot went off and I just froze. Where’s the person with the gun? Who shot who? Are my kids alright? Am I alright? Where’s Eric?

I checked on my kids and told Julie to hold Gracie and stay crouching down next to Buddy and I until told otherwise. 

I stood back up and looked for Eric. I didn’t see him in the last place I saw him, all I saw was someone on the ground. Oh, God. Was Eric shot? Where was he shot? How bad is it? 

“Eric!” I yelled as I tried to move to get him but was held back by Buddy.

“Don’t Tami. He can hurt him even more.” he told me as he held me to his chest. 

I stopped. He was right (for once), I can’t go down there without risking getting myself or someone else shot. 

“What are we going to do?” I asked as I could only watch the scene unfold before me. 

I cried as I watched as Joe shoot Eric again and then begin to beat him senseless. I was silently praying, praying for someone to stop this man from hurting my husband. 

Luckily, my prayers were answered. I watched a couple of good samaritans slowly walk up to Joe and together they tackled him. 

“Oh, thank god.” Buddy sighed as he saw Landry’s Dad successfully arrest him. 

Everyone stood there, no one knew what to do while Landry’s Dad walked Joe off the field. 

“Buddy, can you take the girls home and stay with them while I take care of this?” I asked. 

“Yes, no problem,” he answered quickly, “Okay girls, lets go.” 

Once I heard him say yes I took off towards the sidelines to help my husband. 

“Out of the way! Out of the way!” I yelled as I pushed through some of the fans and players to get to the center of the circle. 

“Oh God,” I gasped as I saw my husband unconscious on the grass. I feel to my knees and noticed he had a gunshot wound to his leg and chest, busted lip, black eye, and his head was bleeding quite a bit. 

“Eric!” I yelled as I took his head in mine, “Eric, honey, I need you to wake up! Open your eyes for me baby!” 

I pulled my hand back to wipe my cheek but it was full of blood. Right. I need to take care of that quickly. 

“Matt and Tim, I’m gonna need your help. Both of you grab shirts, anything to soak up this blood.” I ordered. 

“Yes, ma’am.” they answered before running off.

“Great. Good job,” I said once they returned, “Matt, come here by his leg, rip the shirt and tie it around him. Then apply pressure to the wound with the other half of the shirt. Tim, come down here and hold the shirt against his head. Hold him to make sure he doesn’t move and apply pressure to slow the bleeding.” 

Once I knew they were doing their job as well as they could I took off my sweatshirt to apply pressure on his chest wound. It didn’t look too serious but I’m not a doctor so I can’t really say. 

I need to keep my cool. I can not lose it right now in front of the entire town. I took a deep breath before saying, “Eric. Eric, can you hear me?”

“Coach, you need to wake up.” Riggins said. 

“Eric please, open your eyes for me.” I begged as I took one hand off the sweatshirt to hold his hand in mine, “Squeeze my hand for me.”

Nothing. Now I’m more worried than I was before. “Where are the paramedics!” I yelled hoping someone called them. 

“Said they would be here in 5 minutes.” someone answered. 

“Thank you.” I sighed, “Wake up honey.”

“Mmm,” I heard Eric moan. 

“Eric?” I asked, “Baby, are you awake?”

“Mmm,” he repeated before opening his eyes a little, “What?”

“Shh. Don’t talk right now, you just need to stay awake. Joe McCoy attacked and shot. You’re still on the sidelines, we are waiting for the paramedics.” I explained as I squeezed his hand. 

“Boys alright?” he asked. 

“The boys? Yes, everyone’s fine except you darling.” I answered. 

“Game? I have to finish the game,” he said as he tried to get up. 

“No, you stay down coach. You were hit over the head pretty hard and shot.” Riggins said as he gently pushed Eric back down, “The game doesn’t matter. We can always reschedule if we have to.”

“Riggins?” he asked as he turned his head to see him.

“Stop moving Eric. He’s holding a shirt to your head to try and slow the bleeding while I’m taking care of your chest.” I told him as I applied more pressure. 

“Chest?” he asked before hissing from the pressure I was putting on his chest. 

“Sorry baby I know it hurts but it has to be done.” I said as I moved his bangs out of his eyes, “I need you to stay still for me, can you do that?”

“Yeah,” he answered as he gently squeezed my hand, letting me know he was somewhat okay. 

“Good baby, you’re doing just fine,” I said before asking, “Anyone see the paramedics?” 

“I hear the sirens! They should be here any minute!” someone from the crowd yelled. 

After I shouted out a thank you I heard Eric mumble something but I couldn’t quite understand it. 

“What was that honey?” I asked as I leaned forward. 

“Sorry,” he repeated. 

“About what? What are you sorry for?” I asked, thinking that I already knew the answer.

“About the game.” he explained.

“You have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault.” I told Eric, “Absolutely nothing. You hear me Eric Taylor? Nothing!” 

“Hear you honey,” he mumbled as he closed his eyes. 

“Eric? No, don’t fall asleep honey. I know you’re tired but you have to stay awake for me.” I yelled. 

“Just wanna sleep. Let me sleep,” he said as he tried to turn his head but stopped because he remembered it was being held into place by Riggins. 

“You can not go to sleep right now Eric Taylor.” I snapped.

“Why?” he asked. 

“Because,” I said trying to look for an answer, “Because Julie and Gracie’s on their way over. You want to stay awake to see your daughters don’t you?”

“Yeah, okay,” he answered. 

“Good, now show me those beautiful brown eyes.” I ordered, “There we go. Yeah, just keep looking at me handsome.”

“Paramedics are here,” someone yelled, “Everybody out of the way!”

The paramedics made their way through the crowd and pushed me away so they can take care of Eric. 

I didn’t even listen to what they were saying, I tuned most of it out. All I got was “concussion… heavy bleeding… gunshot wounds… stay awake… we’re moving now”. 

I watched as they wheeled my husband out of the locker room on the stretcher. He looked so pale and still, I hate it. 

“Mrs. Taylor,” Riggins said as he laid his hand on my shoulder, “Come on. I will drive you to the hospital.” 

“Okay,” I nodded, “But we need to go and see the kids first.”

“Okay, lets go.” he responded as he helped me push through the crowd. 

We arrived at my house and I ran inside. I just wanted to see my kids before going to the hospital to see Eric. 

“Mom,” Julie said, “Are you okay? Where’s Dad?”

“He’s at the hospital. They would probably take him to surgery so I wanted to see you guys first. You guys okay?” I asked. 

“Yeah, we’re fine.” Julie answered. 

“Is Eric going to be okay?” Buddy asked. 

“I hope so. We were able to wake him up before the paramedics arrived,” I told them, “I’m sorry guys but I need to go to the hospital. Buddy, do you mind staying here with the girls?” 

“I got everything covered now you just go and take care of your husband.” he said as he took Gracie from Julie. 

“Thank you,” I said before turning to Tim, “Let’s go. Drive fast but safe.” 

“Yes ma’am,” he said as he ran back to the truck with me. 

\------At the Hospital (Still Tami’s POV)------  
“Thank you,” I said to Tim as he handed me a cup of coffee before sitting down, “You don’t have to stay you know. I’ll be alright.” 

“I’d rather stay. I have nowhere to be.” he responded as he sipped his coffee, “And I’m sure they will cancel school for the next few days because Coach was shot.” 

“I’m sure they won’t do that. They can just carry on until he gets back,” I said. 

“With all due respect ma’am, you’re wrong. Your husband is an excellent person. He does so much for not only the team but the entire school. He will be in everyone’s prayers tonight and future nights until he gets better. I’m sure no one will have a problem missing a few days of school to help the man that only helps everyone but himself,” he explained. 

“Thank you Tim. That’s really sweet of you to say. I really appreciate it.” I told him. 

Our sweet moment was interrupted when a surgeon with bloody scrubs walked through and asked, “Family of Eric Taylor?” 

“Yes,” I said as I quickly stood up, “That’s me.” 

“Would you follow me please.” he asked as he walked away from the waiting room so we could have more privacy. 

“Is he okay? Is he alive? Where is he?” I asked once we had a little privacy. 

“Ma’am, your husband is alive and will recover. As for his injuries, he received several kicks and punches to the face and chest which resulted in multiple bruises and one cracked rib. He also had a gunshot wound to the chest, but it just grazed his side so there’s no serious damage. He was also shot in the leg. It didn’t hit anything vital, we just need to keep the weight off it for a while. Finally, he received two nasty blows to the head. There is a little swelling so we can’t be completely sure of the extent of the damage, but we will keep a close eye on it.” he explained, “Any questions?” 

“Can I see him?” I asked. 

“Of course,” he answered, “Would you like to bring your friend along?”

“Tim,” I called out, “Do you want to come?”

“Sure,” he said as he stood, forgetting about the coffee, “Yeah.”

We followed the surgeon to Eric’s room. I was hanging onto Tim, almost afraid of what I might see. 

He silently opened the door and told us to hit the call button if anything happens. 

I walked in and saw my husband lying very still on a hospital bed. He had two big, white bandages wrapped around his head and leg. Part of his face was swollen while the other side had a big black eye. And I;m sure that his chest was in the same shape of his face without looking. 

“Oh God.” I whispered as I went to his bedside. “Eric.” 

“He’ll be okay Mrs. Taylor.” Tim said as he went to the other side of the bed. 

“I know he will, it’s just hard to see him like this,” I sighed as I pulled up a chair, “I’m used to seeing the fun, caring, loving husband all the time not the beaten up cold one that lies before me.”

“I know,” he said, “It’s weird seeing him like this.” 

We sat for a while in silence, just watching him. Making sure nothing else was going to happen to him. 

Soon Tim fell asleep so I woke him up and told him to go home. With a little arguing, he finally agreed and left me all alone with my husband. 

“Oh baby,” I whispered as I leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips, “We’ll get through this. You’ll be alright.” 

\------A Week Later------  
AN: By now, Eric woke up and is doing okay. In this part, Buddy goes to visit him. I hope this part isn’t too rushed or awkward. Please let me know if it is down in the comments section. 

Tami’s POV:  
“Buddy, hey,” I smiled, “Thanks for coming.” 

“Hey Buddy, how are you doing?” Eric asked. 

“I’m doing well Eric. How are you doing? How’s the leg?” he asked. 

“Okay. I’m on crutches now which is good. I can actually go to the bathroom by myself.” my husband explained. 

“Well that’s good,” Buddy said as he took a seat next to the bed. 

“Honey, now that Buddy’s here I’m going to go home and freshen up. Are you okay? Do you need anything?” I asked. 

“No thanks,” he answered, “You can take as long as you want.”

“Nonsense,” I said as I kissed his forehead, “I will be back as soon as I can.” 

Buddy’s POV:  
“You don’t have to stay here and babysit me Buddy. I will be fine on my own for a few hours.” Eric told me. 

“No, I’m staying. It’s really no problem, I don’t mind,” I explained, “So, let’s talk about something besides all this hospital stuff? What do you want to talk about?” 

“Football,” he said to me as he smiled a little. 

“Of course, why did I even ask?” I sighed, “Well, the boys are still going to practice. Yup, every one of them.”

“Really? Even Riggins?” he asked. 

“Especially Riggins,” I answered, “He was the one that came up with the idea. You know, he has a lot of respect for you. All those boys do. You did a good job with them Eric.” 

“Thank you Buddy, I appreciate that.” he told me before looking down at his hands. 

“What’s wrong? Do I need to go get a nurse?” I asked as I was heading towards the door.

“No,” he said, “I just need to use the bathroom. Can you hand me my crutches?”

“Sure,” I said, relieved that it wasn’t something serious, “Why do you have them on the other side of the room anyway?”

“Because, Tami doesn’t want me walking around by myself. She thinks I will fall or something.” he explained. 

“Makes sense,” I said but stopped once I received a glare from Eric, “I’m sorry but it does okay? Now, let me help you a little.”

I bent down and wrapped my arms around him to help him slowly sit up (because of his chest). Once his legs were dangling from the bed I gave him one crutch and waited until he was table enough before handing him the second one. 

“Do you need any help getting into the bathroom?” I asked. 

“No,” he sighed as he made his way into the bathroom, “I feel like a damn child.” 

“You’re not a child Eric. You are a man that has been shot and beaten. You are still the Eric Taylor I remember in my mind, no reason to feel ashamed.” I told him. 

“Thanks,” he said before closing the door. 

A couple minutes later he came back out and I helped him get back on the bed. 

“When did the doctor say you get to go home?” I asked. 

“Maybe tomorrow if I’m lucky.” he answered. 

“That’s nice,” I said as I suddenly had a flashback to Eric’s state game. Now I had something that we can talk about for hours, “Eric? Remember state?”

“Remember? How could I forget?” he said as he smiled before continuing to tell me some of his favorite memories from that game. 

\------ 3 Hours Later (Still Buddy’s POV) ------

“Then that was your final touchdown and everybody knew at that moment that we won the game.” I said, “I will never forget that day.” 

I was waiting for Eric to respond, but I didn’t get an answer. I quickly turned my head to look at him and relaxed when I saw him sleeping. 

I glanced at the clock and realized that we’ve literally been talking about football for hours. 

I quietly got up and went over to the window to close the blinds. I then made my way back to Eric and pulled the blanket up more so it was covering him. I quietly sat down and pulled out my phone so I can have something to do while Eric slept. 

I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of staying in the room where my child slept when they had nightmares. I can’t help but think that I’m doing the same thing with Eric. Hopefully he won’t find it too weird that I stayed once he wakes up. 

\------ The Next Day ------  
AN: This is a time jump to the next day where Eric gets released from the hospital. This bit is the final part of the story and the part with the little welcome home surprise party…

Tami’s POV:  
“Take your time getting to the door honey, there’s no rush.” I said as I walked next to him. 

“I’m fine,” he answered, “I’ll slow down if I need to.” 

“Good,” I said as I was silently happy that he didn’t start a fight right there on our doorstep. 

I opened the door and let him walk inside before closing it. Once it was closed, everyone jumped out and yelled surprise.

To be fair, I did jump a little, even though I knew this was happening. I looked over at Eric’s face as his eyes scanned the room seeing his daughters, Buddy, and most of his team. The look of pure joy on his face made the little heart attack I had all worth it. 

“What are you guys doing here?” he asked as he made his way to the kitchen table.

“We’re here for you coach. We came to welcome you home.” Matt explained. 

“That wasn’t needed fellas. But thank you for doing this.” he said. 

“We just want you to know that we are all here for you.” Buddy replied, “The whole town is here to help you whenever you need it, all you have to do is ask.”

“I’m here to tell you that I’m glad you’re okay,” Matt said, “You know that my Dad is in Iraq right now and seeing you get shot out on that field really put things into perspective for me. I realized how much of a father figure you are to everyone on the team, especially me. Personally, I am glad that you are okay and I can’t wait for you to get back to the field so we can win some more games.” 

“And I chose to just thank you,” Riggins said, “On behalf of the team and the town, we thank you for everything you’ve done for us. You came into this town, not knowing anybody, and you built a fantastic football team. You stayed by our side and continued to fight with us when it got tough. You brought us to state and helped us win. Everyone can see how much you care for everyone on the team and in the town. We want you to know that we appreciate everything you do and we are all glad you’re okay.” 

Everyone went around the room and said something to Eric. We all had our personal touches, but we wanted him to know that we appreciate everything he does and we are glad that he’s okay. 

Once everyone was done speaking, Eric looked around the room with tears in his eyes and made eye contact with everyone before saying, “Thank you all for saying those things and being here and helping me and my family. We really do appreciate it. I myself can’t wait to get back out on the field and win some more games. But, for right now, there’s just one more thing I have to say: clear eyes, full hearts.” 

“Can’t lose,” Matt said. 

“Clear eyes, full hearts,” Eric repeated with a louder voice this time. 

“Can’t lose!” a couple of kids yelled back. 

“Clear eyes, full hearts,” Eric shouted. 

“Can’t lose!” we all yelled back. 

I smiled to myself as I watched everyone get so pumped up that Eric Taylor was back in business and was going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea and just wrote this, I have no idea if it's good. I'm trying to work on my writing skills so please let me know if anything seems rushed, awkward, confusing, etc. I just wanted to get this up as soon as I can so I can receive some feedback. 
> 
> What I'm working on for my other stories...  
-Trying to finish my Umbrella Academy story (part of a series) -- I'm just trying to not make it awkward  
-Finishing a House piece (Wilson/House)  
-Finishing a Sherlock piece (series - Lestrade/Mycroft)  
-Finishing a Daredevil/Avengers crossover piece (series - Matt Murdock/Steve Rogers) 
> 
> Feel free to check out the series listed above (hopefully you'll like them) and don't be afraid to leave suggestions on what you would like to see in the future for those stories. 
> 
> Leave a comment down below of any suggestions or comments in general about the Friday Night Lights piece. Thanks for reading!


End file.
